


Lost Family

by lowlizah



Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Divorced Oliver, F/M, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Oliver's ex is remarried, Ratings subject to change., The Mpreg is in the past, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-07 15:28:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17963171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowlizah/pseuds/lowlizah
Summary: Set in a verse where mpreg is a normal thing. The premise is what if Elio had discovered he was pregnant after Oliver had left but never told him and never planned to tell him. Then one day, Oliver finds out he has a daughter after his son takes an Ancestry DNA test for a school project an he discovers and 'unusually close match.'Excerpt from first chapter:It had started almost a year ago when he signed the permission slip allowing David to take a DNA ancestry test for a history class in school, that simple action had taken an unexpected turn when months ago David had come to him, saying he needed to speak with his father because he had something to show him.That something, was an 'unusually close match.' A possible first or second cousin it had said. Impossible, David knew, as his father was an only child and he knew his cousins on his mother's side. So he had messaged the 'close match.'





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not beta read so let me know if you find any errors so I can correct them.

Oliver tried to remember what brought him to this moment in an effort to calm his racing heart and nervous fidgeting. He was sitting in a restaurant in downtown San Francisco with his sons on either side of him.

Thirteen year old Joseph was on his phone, playing a game - not the least bit affected by what was about to happen, or so it seemed. Fifteen year old David looked anxiously at everyone that walked by, his phone sitting on the table in front of him open to the website that brought them here.

It had started almost a year ago when he signed the permission slip allowing David to take a DNA ancestry test for a history class in school, that simple action had taken an unexpected turn when months ago David had come to him, saying he needed to speak with his father because he had something to show him.

That something, was an 'unusually close match.' A possible first or second cousin it had said. Impossible, David knew, as his father was an only child and he knew his cousins on his mother's side. So he had messaged the 'close match.'

It turned out to be a girl,16 years old, who lived in California with her father, both of whom were originally from Italy. They had immigrated 8 years ago, she went to a private school, and she had 3 year old sister. Her father taught in the Music Department of UCLA, San Francisco.

Claudia, as David had told him her name was, connected the dots of their actual sibling relationship. The children exchanged messages, first on the website then on Twitter as both deemed Facebook too 'dangerous' as it could draw unwanted attention if they were suddenly, and randomly, friends.

David only confronted his father after Claudia had agreed to bring what they learned to her own. He confirmed what they already knew, as well as the secret that Oliver was unaware of Claudia.

When Oliver had first learned of this, he couldn't bring himself to believe it until he saw a picture of Claudia. Her blond hair and the nose and mouth she shared with David and Joseph. The other features were recognizable enough, despite the years.

The anger was short lived, quickly falling way to exhaustion and resignation. The result was the three of them being here, two days after New Year's. The boys winter break ended next week and his daughter's ended the following week, giving them a few days to meet and spend together.

He hadn't told Lucy, and David swore that neither he nor Joseph had mentioned anything to their mother, believing it was their dad's job to tell his ex-wife this secret. Oliver was both relieved and dreading it. During their 10 year marriage, Lucy had wanted a daughter so bad. A daughter that still eluded her in her second marriage as she and Stanley had one son and were expecting another.

She believed that he'd decided that he wanted to take the boys on a planned, surprise trip to California. Oliver knew he'd have to tell her something when they got back.

Someone approached and Oliver jumped to his feet when he recognized the girl from the photos. She was tall and eyed him warily with a tentative smile as she sat down.

"My dad is on his way," she said, "He got a call from the babysitter."

Oliver's heart stuttered to a stop as he saw him come around the corner, next thing he knew he was on his feet. He looked exactly as Oliver remembered, yet also older and more beautiful. "Elio," he breathed.

"Oliver."

God, he even sounded the same.

The two men sat down and awkwardness settled upon the table as the waitress returned to take the drink orders of the newcomers and the appetizer orders.

"Is Alessa okay?" Claudia asked her father quietly.

"Rosie said she still has a slight fever," Elio answered, "Your wife isn't joining us?" He stared at Oliver, eyes briefly going to the boys at his side.

"Ex-wife. We divorced 9 years ago," Oliver answered after taking a sip of water. "This is David and Joseph as I'm sure you know already. What about your," he paused, grasping for a word, "partner?"

"Don't have one. You already know about Claudia," Elio returned, he smiled softly at the kids. "I'm sure there are questions, should we wait or go ahead and start?"

"Claudia's really our half-sister? How?" Joseph asked going right for the jugular.

"She is. Your dad is her other father," Elio answered, "Before your father married your mother, he spent a summer in Italy where we met. A lot of things happened. I didn't know I was pregnant until long after your father left and I had no way to contact him."

A lie but one Oliver allowed after he thought back to all that occurred at the time.

"How did you find out dad got married?" David asked, frowning.

"He called my parents. He had shadowed my father that whole summer; your father called to share the news. I was told later," Elio answered smoothly.

"But you still didn't tell dad he had a kid? Even after having a way to reach him?"

Elio glanced over at Claudia then back at David. "No. I decided it would be best for me and my daughter not to. We had our own life and your father had his," the last part was spoken directly to Oliver who could feel anger brewing at the barb.

"But that's still not fair," David persisted.

"David," Claudia said cutting off the tirade David was about to unleash. "You've no reason to be angry. I understand why papa did it and I'm glad he did. Who knows how differently things would be if he had told your dad."

"He's your dad too," Joseph butted in.

Claudia nodded as the waitress returned expertly placing the appetizers, appetizer plates, and drinks on the table then patiently waited while they quickly looked over their forgotten menus to hastily order as she provided refills and jotted down a wine order from Elio. Immediately, the kids dug into the vegetable skewers, calamari, bread sticks, and stuffed mushrooms.

"I would love to get to know you Claudia," Oliver said, "I know it'll be difficult because I live in New Jersey but I'm taking a sabbatical to write so maybe I could find something closer to you during that time." There was no way he was going to suggest her flying out to see him; he could practically sense the anxiety rolling off of Elio. The waitress returned and poured for both Elio and Oliver before putting the bottle down near Elio.

"What about us? Can we come?" Joseph whined.

"You guys could spend the summer with me," Oliver said smiling. "The boys have a two week spring break coming up and my sabbatical wouldn't start until the end of the term so we have plenty of time to figure things out."

"I'd like that," Claudia said, "We live in Napa so maybe you could find something close?"

"I'll try," Oliver said. "We're here for a few more days, if it's alright, I'd like to meet up again."

"Is that alright papa?" Claudia asked looking at Elio with a smile. "Can we? I'd like them to meet Alessa. We're all family after-all."

Oliver could recognize the nervousness in Elio's look as he nodded and gave their daughter a strained 'of course' before finishing off his wine and pouring himself more.

The kids began talking in earnest, David and Claudia confirming things they already learned through messages, while sharing stories of their lives with Joseph eagerly jumping in. Oliver took the opportunity to stare at Elio who was staring back from beneath thick lashes.

"You look well Elio," Oliver said watching the other man flush, "I don't know if you're happy to see me again but I'm happy to see you, even if the circumstances aren't exactly the dream reunion."

The waitress returned with their entrees halting Elio's response. She expertly cleared the table before place the combination of salads and soups to the correct person, topping off drinks before disappearing once more.

"How come your sister is so much younger than you?" Joseph asked Claudia before looking to Elio, "Did you have her too? What's that like?"

Claudia laughed. "She's the best little sister. But she has a mom," she explained.

"Her mother is an archaeologist, last I heard from her she was in Peru. She's a guest professor for the history department that pops in on occasion for lectures or while someone's out. I'm apparently accident prone. Teresa doesn't want to be a mum but we're good friends," Elio told between sips of his soup. "She asked me if I wanted the baby because although we were casual, she knew I wanted another child, had been trying before the relationship I was in went sour. She endured the pregnancy and signed over her rights to Alessa."

"We send her pictures," Claudia said smiling fondly, "and call or video-chat when possible but reception is never good where she is. She always sends us the most interesting things from her travels. We never know when something is on it's way." She searched through her phone before presenting a picture to show the three of an adorable girl with dark curls that looked so much like her papa.

"She's beautiful Elio," he said, "Both your girls are."

Elio stared warily at Oliver and mumbled thanks before using his napkin on his mouth and excusing himself. "I need to call the babysitter," he explained before walking away.

The rest of dinner passed uneventfully with the kids leading conversation and Elio only speaking if spoken to directly, offering the minimum of conversation but watching carefully. Oliver rarely allowed his gaze to break away from the other man, taking in slender fingers and bowed lips.

~*~*

Elio felt like his skeleton was going to jump out of his skin from the moment he kissed Alessa goodbye. His stomach was in knots and his heart was racing, getting worse with each second that ticked by that he spent in front of Oliver again. When they first arrived he was glad when the babysitter called, cowardly he sent Claudia on ahead without him needing the extra time to force composure and still his shaking hands.

The moment that led to him in a restaurant with Oliver after years would forever be in his head. The moment his peaceful bubble burst and the other shoe finally dropped.

Claudia had come to him one Friday night. She crawled into his bed with her iPad clutched tightly to her. Alessa was sleeping next to him, she'd been feeling poorly and wanted to be close to him - his sweet clingy little baby. His eldest stared intently at the TV playing the latest episode to a new series he enjoyed. He'd already seen the episode but he liked having some background noise as he marked notes.

Elio knew she wanted to talk about something, she'd been acting weird for a few weeks but he hadn't pressed her for information. He knew his daughter would come to him when she was ready to reveal what was in her head.

Then she spoke, "Is my dad's name Oliver?" and Elio's world shifted.

_"Is my dad's name Oliver?"_

_Elio froze, his head jerking up to stare at his daughter._

_Claudia nodded at his reaction. She unlocked her iPad and held it out, "Is this him?"_

_The air left his lungs as he stared at the face of the man that still haunted him. It had to be a recent picture. Oliver looked older, his hair was still golden blonde and his smile was still pearly white. He looked the same except for a a few more pronounced laugh lines and wrinkles._

_"Will you tell me again?," she asked shifting closer to him so her head rested on his shoulder and they both stared down at the picture._

_Elio sighed and rested his cheek on his daughter's head. "I was 17 and he was our summer guest. We didn't care much for each other at first but summer is long and also so short. I loved him Claudia, I did so much. I loved his laugh, his smile, his eyes. His hands were so big and warm. We could talk about everything and nothing. We could sit in silence with each other and it was enough to fill me with peace. In the end, he had to go and I had to stay."_

_"Do you wish you told him?"_

_"I don't know. I think about it still sometimes. The last phone call I had with him, I was going to tell him but before I could get the words out he told me he was getting married. I never hated him Claudia, and I never want you to either, he did as he thought was best and what would make him happy. The what-if's would come up every now and then but they don't bare thinking about. I loved him and I love every bit of you for being the best parts of him and me."_

_Claudia wiped her eyes as she always did when they talked about this. "It was the DNA kit Nonno got me. Dad's son did one too and it linked us. We've been messaging and," she swiped the screen and another picture came up. This one of Oliver and two teenage boys. "My brothers I guess."_

_"You all have the same noses," Elio observed, "So what would you like to do?"_

_"I know we talked about me contacting my dad when I got older, I'd like to meet him and my brothers. Can I set it up?" she asked. "Will you be okay, seeing him again?"_

_"He'll be angry."_

_"Maybe but you said he was smart right? He'll have to understand that you had your reasons, just like you had to understand that he had his," she said shifting down to lay her head on a pillow; she put the iPad on the nightstand. "Do you still love him?"_

_Elio sighed and looked back down at his papers. "Love is simple until someone goes and makes it complicated. I love him for what we had and because he is your dad. I love Alessa's mom. Before he left, I loved Blake."_

_"I'm sorry Blake hurt you papa. You do everything for me and Alessa, I want you to be happy too."_

_Elio put his papers aside and turned off the TV. He shuffled down and pulled his daughters closer to him. "Sometimes, no matter how much you want them to, some relationships won't work out. They aren't meant for forever; they're just meant for that time that you find yourself in, so you just have to know when to let go before you get hurt more than you can fix. You'll learn something from every relationship you have whether it's romantic or not; you just have to make sure that you don't lose yourself and know that sometimes they had to end."_

_"Maybe you and Oliver can be friends then. If sometimes relationships have to end then maybe sometimes, later on, they can start over," Claudia replied._

_"Sometimes," Elio agreed._

Seeing Oliver again was simply weird. The image of the man that Elio kept in his head morphed from the summer sun-kissed young man in pastel swim-trunks and billowy shirts to the older man before him in a navy three-piece suit, looking so much the same but oh-so different.

Elio focused on the boys; he answered the boys questions with only the basics figuring if they wanted more details, they'd have to pester their father, as Elio didn't know how much - or how little - the man wanted them to know.

Aside from that he kept his attention on the children. Marveling at the occasional similar mannerisms; little things that Claudia did that had baffled him because no one in his family did those things yet now it made sense, watching the wrinkled nose snickering.

Oliver tried to engage him in conversation but Elio gently rebuffed him, turning personal questions back around to make the kids the center of conversation. To discuss anything personal felt raw so Elio glossed over Blake, his last serious relationship who had desperately wanted a child that Elio couldn't bring himself to creating with the man, and went straight to Alessa.

He ended up sharing slightly more than he intended but it was all really for the benefit of the boys. To help them understand the Perlman home situation. He refrained from asking about the divorce and anything at all about Oliver's relationship status and history. He knew enough about his daughter's father, what he needed was to get to know his daughter's brothers.

Elio could feel Oliver's eyes burning into him.


	2. Chapter 2

Oliver sat in his hotel bed - two tiny bottles of whiskey on the bedspread beside him, one empty bottle sat on the nightstand and a half empty one was in his hand. He was partially paying attention to the TV where James Bond was wrecking havoc on an unsuspecting city.

The boys had disappeared to their room as soon as they got back to the hotel. Oliver had checked on them around midnight to find them sleeping; David's laptop had been dangerously close to falling off his bed, while Joseph's was marathon-ing some show.

He sorted them out before returning to his own room. He'd carefully kept his mind blank, up until this moment. His phone sat on the pillow next to him with two new contacts. One of which was a tempting siren call.

Finishing the bottle and depositing it on the nightstand, Oliver sighed and rubbed at his eyes. His mind kept going back to the last time he spoke with Elio and how everything about that conversation was now skewed with the knowledge the young man's condition.

Oliver could imagine the scene. Elio with the phone pressed to his ear, as his other hand cradled the swell of his stomach because if Oliver's estimations were correct, Elio would have been in his second trimester and showing by then.

He could remember the unusually timid sound of Elio's voice. The practically whispered, "Oliver, I have to tell you something." And Oliver had stupidly cut him off, wanting to rip the band-aid off and share his own news of his pending nuptials. He remembered Elio's inhalation and when Oliver asked about Elio's own news, the young man had paused, answering that it was nothing before he breathed out a soft 'congratulations.'

The last thing Elio had asked was if Oliver was happy and Oliver - ever the coward - lied and said he was. His parents had been ecstatic about the match and everything would be perfect.

He got his parents approval and they got the perfect daughter-in-law to show around the country club. Of course it was only five years before they were looking at him with disapproval once again, as he went over the divorce papers and custody agreement with the lawyer they'd hired to ensure he wouldn't get 'taken to the cleaners.' It wasn't done out of any love for him, he knew that; it was so they would continue to be able to see their grandsons.

He could only imagine how they'd react to the news of his daughter. Oliver cracked open another bottle and downed it. One damn moment that he facilitated, altered the course of so many lives. He fucked up the lives of so many people with his selfishness and cowardice.

Oliver could hardly be angry at Elio for not telling him. It was his own fault, all of this was his own damn fault.

Claudia invited the trio to spend the day at the Perlman house. She expertly played the two adults, reminding her papa that they all needed to get to know each other but with Alessa still getting over her illness, he'd feel guilty about leaving her with a sitter again, as for Oliver, she could show him baby pictures and albums; David chimed in then reporting he had also brought a photo album to share.

He knew he needed to get to sleep but every time he closed his eyes, Oliver could remember sitting in his childhood room on the phone telling Elio about his engagement. The disappointment he felt at the time about the strained 'congratulations' he was offered, and how much he wanted to throttle that Oliver.

~*~*

Elio kept silent on the ride home, preferring to let his daughter lead the conversation if she chose to. The fact that she remained silent didn't mean much when she couldn't keep the smile off her face. He decided to try to mentally generate the email that he would send his parents but the most he could come up with that Oliver looked good and his sons had his charm.

"Papa?"

Elio glanced over at his daughter and gave her a small smile.

"You're not upset right? I know I should have asked before all this happened but I was just so excited to meet him and find out I have brothers," Claudia said quickly before biting her lip and continuing hesitantly, "It's just, whenever you told me about him and the story of that summer, it seemed like you loved him so much and part of me wanted to hate him for leaving you, and leaving me, except he didn't leave me because he didn't know about me because you didn't tell him but you didn't tell him because he chose to marry some girl his parents picked, or whatever, to make them happy instead of making himself - and you - happy but I kind of get it, you know? I want you to be proud of me too."

"Claudia, I want you to do what makes you happy," Elio said focusing on the road.

"I know papa. That's how love is supposed to be, unconditional, but I know that some parents aren't like that. I just don't want you to be hurt because I'm being selfish."

Elio sighed and reached out for his daughter's hand. "It's complicated; seeing him does hurt but it's also a relief. He's alive; he's okay."

"He's divorced."

Elio ignored that comment and continued with his trail of thought, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me okay?"

The rest of the ride was silent and when they arrived home, Claudia gave her father a kiss goodnight before disappearing to her room. Elio saw the babysitter to her car before doing a quick check on his youngest and going through the motions of preparing for bed.

He glared at the clock when it rolled to 2 in the morning and he was still awake, unable to close his eyes without being thrown back into the memory of sandy beaches and tall grass, soft touches and desperate kisses.

~*~*

The next morning found Oliver and his sons in Elio's home by mid-morning.They got a half-introduction to Alessa, the little girl looked like a doll dressed in a light green romper with a lace collar.

The toddler held tightly to the back of her papa's purple v-neck. Elio wore black cotton shorts and his feet were bare, leaving Oliver to feel overdressed in slacks and a black polo. Elio motioned to the shoe rack by the door and the three removed their shoes before Elio guided them to through the foyer and den to the kitchen.

Oliver couldn't help but smile as he took everything in. Of course Elio had an Italian style home- the open floor plans, Italian tiles, and handmade copper decorations with vaulted ceilings.

Alessa openly stared at Oliver throughout brunch before the teens started in on the photo albums. Claudia presented Oliver with a photo album, while the boys pulled out the one they brought along. Joseph and David pointed out shared baby features as they held pictures side-by-side. The teens were content to share the stories behind pictures only occasionally asking for clarification on some of the details from their fathers.

The boys were particularly captivated about the pictures of Italy and the Perlmans summer home. Of course that led to questions about Oliver's time there which he attempted to answer honestly. Thankfully, the most personal thing asked was David asking if they had been a one time thing or had they been 'summer serious.'

Eventually they got tired of talking about the past and ran out to the backyard and the call of the pool, leaving the two men alone with dozens of pictures and a toddler contentedly eating sliced fruit.

Oliver found himself going back a certain set of photos. Elio with a slightly swelled belly, surrounded by gifts wrapped in holiday paper that let Oliver know exactly when it was taken. He almost wanted to ask if this was before of after the phone call; the small smile on Elio's lips didn't seem to match the mood of the photo.

Another photo showed Elio standing in a familiar room, though it was painted yellow and he stood over Samuel and Anchise as the two men attempted to put a crib together. He was larger and his back took on that painful arch with his palms pressed against it, in an attempt to ease the pain and pressure. "When was she born?" he asked, looking up to see Elio flipping through the album the boys brought.

Elio answered without looking up at him, "April. It was maybe 6 hours of labor. Much better than the 14 hours Alessa took." He looked up then and squinted at the photos Oliver's fingers were tracing. "Claudia put that together, it has copies of her favorite pictures. I have another that has more of her baby pictures that I could show you."

The last was a hospital picture taken what had to be minutes after Claudia was born. She was still covered in birth gunk, scrunched up face screaming displeasure. Elio cradled her to his bare chest, his own face splotchy and tired but with a soft smile gracing his features.

Oliver knew similar pictures existed in the boys album. Except in those, Oliver stood next to the bed with one hand on Lucy's shoulder; the picture of a proud father.

"What did your parents say?" Oliver asked, "When they found out?"

"They knew about us," Elio replied, "I told them we were mostly careful. They were shocked, I think maybe a little disappointed, but overall supportive. There were moments when I honestly thought Mafalda was going to steal her, and mum loved having a granddaughter. They all helped me a lot and it was because if them I could continue school."

Oliver tempered his jealousy when he came across a few photos that had a tall man with bleach blond hair giving a young Claudia piggy back rides through the zoo or building a sandcastle with her on the beach. The last photo that the man was in was a selfie taken by Claudia with Elio in the background with that man's arms around him. After that he was gone, replaced briefly by a beautiful and pregnant brunette woman who was only in a few photos before a small Alessa began being featured.

Oliver looked up and watched Elio flip through the album that was full of posed shots and artificial smiles. The candid shots of his daughter's album were full of laughter and love that shone from the pictures. In comparison, the only ones truly happy in the album in Elio's hands were his sons, and even then their smiles stopped being real at far too early an age.

"When did you find out that you were pregnant?" Oliver asked going back to those three photos.

Elio sighed, "When the weight started around 4 months maybe. I didn't have any symptoms aside from that and even then the weight wasn't actually that much. Of course I had the pains but mum and Mafalda had remedies for everything. The doctors were worried but mom figured I was carrying 'towards the back,' whatever that meant. She was healthy and perfect." He frowned, "I was lucky. I saw that with how much Teresa went through with Alessa. Her morning sickness was terrible and it carried on into the second trimester."

"Sounds like Lucy," Oliver said. He smiled at Alessa who had openly been starting at him with the shamelessness only a toddler could manage. "They're beautiful Elio."

"They're also terribly smart," Elio replied, "But thank you. The boys are handsome and well-mannered."

Alessa pushed off from her papa and held her arms out to Oliver. Elio tilted his head in question and Oliver eagerly reached out, drawing the little girl into his arms. She touched his hair and nearly poked him in the eye before resting her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry Elio," Oliver said, imagining briefly what it would have been like to hold Claudia like this before remembering that it was still Elio's daughter in his arms.

"What about?" Elio asked carefully avoiding the scene before him.

"For being a coward and for not matching your strength, like you deserved. You're incredible Elio, I hope you know that."

Elio shot up to his feet and scurried away, tossing a strained, "I'll go find that other album."

Oliver cleared his throat and set about the task of single-handidly clearing the table; Alessa offering assistance of her two hands under the condition of never being put down. After the kitchen was cleared, he did a quick check on the teens then wandered off in the direction Elio had gone.

He found Elio in his bedroom, sitting on the bed holding a pillow tightly with a photo album open beside him. Oliver carefully placed Alessa down, mindful not to disturb the slumbering toddler before tugging the album over, eyes trailing over the numerous, personal photos of Elio and his family.

"You're supposed to be angry. You're supposed to yell and hate me for not telling you. Why aren't you screaming at me? You missed out on so much with her and it's like you don't care," Elio said glaring.

Oliver smiled sadly. "I am angry. I want to scream and yell and throw things but what would that change? We're where we are now. I can't be angry with you without being angry at myself and I have worked so hard to stop hating myself for what happened."

~*~*

Elio thought he did such a good job keeping distance from the entire situation. Admittedly he was curious about the boys lives, and thus Oliver's he supposed. From the album Elio could tell that Oliver was a good father even though there were more fake smiles and posed family shots than he thought possible. The actual happy shots were only of the kids with either Oliver or their mother, never all together and none of Oliver alone with his former wife.

He didn't exactly know what to make of that but he knew it didn't bare thinking about. Just like he made sure not to think about which photos Oliver kept going back to in the album Claudia had put together.

He answered the questions asked of him politely and honestly. The kids were a safe topic that he would speak about at length.

However, the universe seemed invested in throwing Elio off kilter as unexpected was his shy, stranger aware toddler, holding her hands out to a man she just met. With no reason not to, he passed her over to his former lover. Elio carefully avoided the sight of Oliver cuddling his baby girl; it was all he could do to not think about how there were times when he desperately wished for the sight of Oliver holding Claudia during a night of colic or fever. Also unexpected, was the apology given to him which brought his carefully crafted facade to a crashing demise.

Elio fled to his room, hurt and angry. Oliver was supposed to be angry. Angry at Elio for robbing him of 16 years of his daughter's life. He was supposed to yell and rage and threaten for his parental rights. Elio imagined this moment for so many years and none of it was happening how he had prepared himself for it to happen. He wasn't sure how long he sat there starting at pictures that he had imagined Oliver in more times than he could count.

Seeing Oliver walk into his bedroom and gently put Alessa down before joining Elio in the bed was almost more than he could bear.

"You're supposed to yell and hate me for not telling you. Why aren't you screaming at me? You missed out on so much with her. Her birth, her first words and steps, nightmares, scraped knees, sickness, school, her entire childhood and it's like you don't care," Elio hissed, mindful of his sleeping daughter on the bed.

Oliver's sad smile and wistful eyes as he glanced over at Alessa then at the photos in the album brought Elio up short. "I am angry. Trust me, I want to scream and yell and throw things but what would that change? We're where we are now. I can't be angry with you without being angry at myself and I have worked so hard to stop hating myself for what happened."

Elio stared at the equally broken man before him before whispering, "So what now?"

"I don't know. I hope, we can be a family of-sorts. I want my sons to know you, Elio," Oliver answered honestly. "I want to be here for Claudia, to get to know her, to be her dad too. If you let me, I want to know Alessa too. I want to," he stared at Elio searching for his next words, "I want to be your friend."

"Mine," Alessa whined, startling both men as the little girl sat straight up and stared ahead with half-lidded eyes before flopping back over in dead sleep.

Elio shared a smile with Oliver and nodded. "Okay. I think, we can do that."

 

~*~*~

[Elio's Home](https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/2036-Lone-Oak-Ave_Napa_CA_94558_M26636-56078?view=qv)

~*~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, let me know if there's something you'd like to see - be it a scene, an idea, or even a filler chapter idea or something you'd like me to expound on. This isn't beta read so if you catch anything let me know and I'll fix it right away. Also I'm kinda upset because I hate my job so fucking much it's affecting my mental health which is ironic since I work at a mental health clinic, I tried to proofread but I probably missed something.
> 
> Also if anyone would like a m/m book rec, I'm currently reading Halo by Ella Frank and Brooke Blaine; it's excellent. I will give the warning that it is in first-person POV and switches between the two guys. The chapters are short because of that but you get scenes from both their perspectives. It's a trilogy and at the time of me writing this, the other two books aren't out yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. Also if there is anything you'd like to see more of (backstory, POV, filler chapters), or if you have any suggestions you'd like me to consider. Feedback is much appreciated. Kudos are welcomed too.


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